Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and because it is a federal holiday, we also enjoy a day off of school. Although the day off is appreciated, it does follow last week which featured not only a half day for professional development, but also a snow day! Snow is in the forecast tomorrow and you can bet that very few teachers are hoping for another day off. With midterms beginning on Wednesday, a delay in the schedule would only throw things into a chaotic state of confusion and disarray. Regardless, it is nice to enjoy a day off and catch up on some grading, lesson planning, and a little bit of studying for my first of two tests I need to pass in order to be a teacher in Massachusetts. This coming test is on Saturday and should not be too difficult... the one in March I am dreading already... But we take it one day at a time and I refuse to let it worry me now...
Since returning to Boston, my housemates and I have enjoyed the company of visitors. After a week with my cousin, Tom Sawyer also came out for a week leaving yesterday. We also met up with James Wegmann who rode the train up to Boston from the nation's capital on a "spur of the moment" trip. I am also looking forward to a visit from Nichole in about a week and a half...
The New Year brings two major resolutions: Survive my first year teaching and successfully file my taxes online by myself. I am actually more worried about the second one. I already look forward to warmer weather and lower heating bills. Walking around Boston yesterday reminded me how much I do love living here and how beautiful the city can be, even in the middle of winter.
Time to go back to lesson planning... Louisiana Purchase here I come!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thankful for a reminder...
Sometimes I seem to get lucky... or fortunate... the Calvinist in me suggests that the powerful hand of providence hits me in the face! But every once in a while I will stumble on something... generally an idea or a reading... that will reignite a powerful message of something I have previously learned and considered. Kiernan provides the welcome gift this time through her delightful and insightful blog post on John Henry Newman's Fifth Discourse from The Idea of a University. Like Kiernan, I too was obsessing over the real purpose of liberal education during the spring semester of our junior year. Also like Kiernan, the rug was pull from beneath my feet with Newman's answer and exposition as to what "knowledge for it's own sake" truly means. I have come to despise the way our modern minds think of education. This is a disease that can hardly be blamed on my soulless, utilitarian seventh graders. Proponents of vocational, useful, and efficient education seem to have won the cultural battle over the definition and purpose of education. For now I guess this makes me more determined to present a different perspective regardless of whether twelve year olds can grasp a different concept. Yet as for me, a good reminder of the purpose of liberal education and the development of a philosophic habit of mind was a welcome encouragement against the discouraging tide of utilitarianism in education. And yes, I still love my job for no matter how hard it has been, teaching the subject I love to great kids make each day an exciting and a rewarding challenge.
Additionally Kiernan and Julie's recent posts about their Hillsdale experiences were great reminders of my own experience at school. Settling into life post-Hillsdale, while not easy, has been smoother than expected. I miss the people even more than I thought I would and hope to see many of them sooner rather than later. But it is not like there is too big of a void post-Hillsdale. I am thankful for the new changes in my life including my job, Nichole, and a new church family. This will be the first time away from my family for the holiday season. For some of my Hillsdale friends, returning home for Thanksgiving and perhaps even Christmas, did not happen every year during college. I remember feeling bad for them considering that if I were in their position it would be a bit difficult not being with family. This year it is my turn to be away... I am certainly thankful for close friends in the area here to spend Thanksgiving with. But it will not be the same. Maybe that is ok... but still... it is a weird adjustment.
We have school Monday, Tuesday, and a half day on Wednesday this week. Break will be so wonderful indeed. A Blessed Thanksgiving to you all!
Additionally Kiernan and Julie's recent posts about their Hillsdale experiences were great reminders of my own experience at school. Settling into life post-Hillsdale, while not easy, has been smoother than expected. I miss the people even more than I thought I would and hope to see many of them sooner rather than later. But it is not like there is too big of a void post-Hillsdale. I am thankful for the new changes in my life including my job, Nichole, and a new church family. This will be the first time away from my family for the holiday season. For some of my Hillsdale friends, returning home for Thanksgiving and perhaps even Christmas, did not happen every year during college. I remember feeling bad for them considering that if I were in their position it would be a bit difficult not being with family. This year it is my turn to be away... I am certainly thankful for close friends in the area here to spend Thanksgiving with. But it will not be the same. Maybe that is ok... but still... it is a weird adjustment.
We have school Monday, Tuesday, and a half day on Wednesday this week. Break will be so wonderful indeed. A Blessed Thanksgiving to you all!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Done with church shopping... finally...?
I think I have finally decided on a church. It is located in Cambridge which is awesome although my reasons for deciding on this particular church are more meaningful I hope. Gone are the days in which I had either a five minute drive or a five minute walk from church. It is important that I get plugged into a church, however, and that I find something other than work to throw my time and energy into.
Going to church in Cambridge will help ensure that I make it to downtown Boston at least once a week, which is a good thing. It is a beautiful city and every time I go downtown I am more convinced of it. After church I met Bethany for lunch here:
The breakfast burrito was delicious!
The long weekend has been good to catch up on rest and relaxation although the UM/MSU game on Saturday did not do anything for my blood pressure. I did go to the high school game on Friday night. Although we got killed by our opponents, it was fun to hang out with some of my students at the game. They also talked me into going to the 7th and 8th grade football game the follow morning which was fun because we won! Starting tomorrow we will push ourselves to Thanksgiving. I am starting to realize what 200 school days actually means. At this point I can barely stand to think about what it will be like come next June. But we take it one week at a time...
Going to church in Cambridge will help ensure that I make it to downtown Boston at least once a week, which is a good thing. It is a beautiful city and every time I go downtown I am more convinced of it. After church I met Bethany for lunch here:
The breakfast burrito was delicious!
The long weekend has been good to catch up on rest and relaxation although the UM/MSU game on Saturday did not do anything for my blood pressure. I did go to the high school game on Friday night. Although we got killed by our opponents, it was fun to hang out with some of my students at the game. They also talked me into going to the 7th and 8th grade football game the follow morning which was fun because we won! Starting tomorrow we will push ourselves to Thanksgiving. I am starting to realize what 200 school days actually means. At this point I can barely stand to think about what it will be like come next June. But we take it one week at a time...
Saturday, October 2, 2010
My new look...
This is me as a teddy bear. Apparently, several students have named this infamous teddy bear after me. Now hopefully they do not blow it up...
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Boston is finally starting to feel like home...
It has been nearly two months since I moved to Boston. Time continues to fly. The school week is so compacted... it hardly ever seems like you leave because you are there for 10 hours a day and then you come home to work more on the things you failed to get done at school. But... as of now, I love it. Being a teacher has been great, especially because every day I feel a little more adjusted and comfortable in the classroom. Controlling a classroom has been the biggest learning experience. I wish we had smaller classes but the reality is that we do not. I am proud to say that I can now quiet my students down and get (mostly) their full attention for the majority of the class. Each day is different though and some days certain sections are better than others. Either way, I've learned to appreciate my students as fundamentally good kids who sometimes make poor choices. In that sense, they are no different than the rest of us...
On Saturday Ian and Bethany and I visited the Harpoon Brewery before wandering around the Boston Common and Public Garden on a beautiful unseasonably warm day. We continued our wandering to an awesome used book store. The city, for the first time, began to feel like home even though I do not know it as well as I want to someday. It will take time and more wandering I think before I really begin to feel comfortable. I like living in big cities but they do take their adjustments. All in all... a fantastic way to end the week and get ready for the next one.
On Saturday Ian and Bethany and I visited the Harpoon Brewery before wandering around the Boston Common and Public Garden on a beautiful unseasonably warm day. We continued our wandering to an awesome used book store. The city, for the first time, began to feel like home even though I do not know it as well as I want to someday. It will take time and more wandering I think before I really begin to feel comfortable. I like living in big cities but they do take their adjustments. All in all... a fantastic way to end the week and get ready for the next one.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Two Week Update!
Two weeks have flown by. They tell me, just like they did at college that time only goes faster. That worries me as I look back to how quickly my time at Hillsdale went by. There is much to say and write but for the sake of time I will try and cover the big things.
I have 120 students in the seventh grade this year. As the only history teacher, I will see all 120 students every single day. For history and science they are divided into two sections of boys and two sections of girls. We give the four sections nicknames from the major Boston sports teams. The Bruins and the Celtics are the girls and the Red Sox and the Patriots are the boys. I am also a home room teacher which means from 8-8:25am, 30 of the students begin their day in my classroom. I take attendance, enter lunch counts, listen to announcements over the PA system, and have a 15 minute "Character Education" lesson. Character Education is required every single year at the school and varies by the grade. This year we work on virtues and organization. Students are given a planner that they need to fill out every week. They must also list their weekly goals and their parents must sign at the end of the week verifying their participation in their child's education. The top line of the planner is reserved for teacher use... more on that to come...
The rest of my day follows like this:
8:25-9:12am- Patriots History
9:14-9:59am- Celtics History
10:00-10:45am- Red Sox History
10:45-11:15am- Students return to their home rooms for recess... I would then monitor recess with the other 7th grade home room teachers if recess is outside. If recess is inside, I would monitor my home room.
11:15-11:45- Lunch in home rooms
11:45-1:00pm- Planning period
1:00-1:45pm Bruins History
Mondays and Wednesdays I monitor the late room from 3:30-4pmish for kids whose parents are late in picking them up
Tuesdays and Thursdays I monitor detention from 3:30-4:30pm
All in all my day is not bad. I enjoy my classes and my students. The Red Sox have proven to be the most difficult class to control. I am thankful to work in a school where structure and discipline are enforced. Students are first given a warning if they refuse to follow instructions. After the warning the teacher is allowed to request the student planner in which they would write down and sign the violation committed by the student. We call this an A-Plan. Because parents must sign their child's planner every week, this gives parents an opportunity to see how well their child is behaving. Three A-Plans in a week or five in a month is a visit to the principal's office. Some violations are automatic visits to the principal including disrespect or other behavioral problems. Some violations are automatic A-Plans including forgetting a book to class, chewing gum, or failing to turn in homework. The uniform policy is also enforced daily and students can be given an A-Plan and a letter to their parents if they fail to comply. For the boys it is a constant reminder to tuck their shirts in and wear belts. For girls... it is far more difficult. Skirts must be no more than two inches above the knee. If a teacher questions the length of the skirt, the girl is sent to the nurse's office for measurement. If her skirt is too short, the nurse gives her a pair of pants from the uniform bank. Uniform checks are randomly administered in home rooms but can be done whenever the student is at school. The uniform policy extends beyond clothing too. Shoes must be plain brown or black tennis or dress shoes. No hair dye, jewelry (girls can wear a pair of simple stud earrings with no design), or nail polish. Boys can wear shorts until October 1. Pants or skirts must be a plain khaki color. Tops are a burgundy polo. Undershirts must be white. Sweaters or pullovers must also be burgundy.
I was not sure how I felt about school uniforms before this year but in two weeks of teaching I am already sold. Because we are a charter school, we have both low and high income students. Labels are distracting and can often reveal which students are well off and which ones are not. Because labels are always forbidden this takes away a serious distraction from the classroom. The purpose of the uniforms is to avoid drawing negative attention to yourself. Students attention should be on academics, not on the clothes they are wearing. Although this seems like a little thing, you'd be surprised how many students attempt to push the limits. Teachers are constantly reminded to enforce the uniforms because if we give just a little bit of ground on the uniform policy, students might be tempted to push the limits in other areas as well.
For the most part, my students are great. Even the Red Sox have settled down some since the first week. It was somewhat of an adjustment for me to learn how to control a class. I was quickly thankful for both a school that uses discipline and rules and an administration that backed me up as a teacher 100%. When one of my students clearly disrespected me in front of other students, he was given an immediate one day in school suspension with no questions asked by the principal. The student also apologized for his disrespect. Although the system has its downfalls, Mystic Valley provides more structure than many public schools do. I cannot imagine teaching in a school district that would not employ a system of discipline. Any sort of control in the classroom would seem impossible, especially for 7th graders.
On the flip side, we encourage on a 4:1 positive to negative ratio at Mystic Valley. That means for every correction, we give four positive comments. This can be very difficult on some days, but it really works. Kids respond much better to positive comments. You can even use a correction as a positive for others. For example, if you praise a kid for sitting up straight and paying attention class, and then you notice the other kid next to him who was slouching suddenly straighten up because you praised the other kid, you should also praise the kid who straightened up. That way you never have to use a negative comment and you can give yourself another positive comment. This might sound crazy at first... but we have found that especially among younger kids, they respond to praise better than they do criticism. I have also found this attitude helpful in my interactions with others, even the guys around the house. It is better to praise and lift up than to tear down and criticize.
My seventh grade class is going very well. I am attempting to teach the history class differently than a bunch of names and dates and facts. Rather I am trying to get them to see History as a "story" of which they are major part. The majority of the readings are coming from primary sources... which is different than simply relying on textbooks and group projects. Some people wondered if this was too early for seventh graders. Thus far things are going well as I am consistently impressed by the intellect of my students. They turn in homework every night and have already been given two quizzes and a test. I feel that seventh graders need to be challenged and that if you set the bar high, you will at least see students trying to hit it. If you set the standard low, you probably won't get too much out of them. Our students are used to working hard and achieving wellI see no reason why I should not expect much out of my students and thus far they are not disappointing.
We are thankful to enjoy the Labor Day weekend which included no school on Labor Day. This weekend allowed me the chance to catch up on some lesson plans, grade some tests, and relax with Bethany, Ian, and Nathanael. Oh... and I also caught up on sleep too. The work weeks have been around 60-65 hours a week thus far... I am hoping that they reduce with time as I continue to learn more each day. I feel like I have learned more in two weeks than I have in a long time. Teaching is different than being a full time student, but in many ways it is the same. Thus I continue to be excited to see what the rest of the year will bring.
I have 120 students in the seventh grade this year. As the only history teacher, I will see all 120 students every single day. For history and science they are divided into two sections of boys and two sections of girls. We give the four sections nicknames from the major Boston sports teams. The Bruins and the Celtics are the girls and the Red Sox and the Patriots are the boys. I am also a home room teacher which means from 8-8:25am, 30 of the students begin their day in my classroom. I take attendance, enter lunch counts, listen to announcements over the PA system, and have a 15 minute "Character Education" lesson. Character Education is required every single year at the school and varies by the grade. This year we work on virtues and organization. Students are given a planner that they need to fill out every week. They must also list their weekly goals and their parents must sign at the end of the week verifying their participation in their child's education. The top line of the planner is reserved for teacher use... more on that to come...
The rest of my day follows like this:
8:25-9:12am- Patriots History
9:14-9:59am- Celtics History
10:00-10:45am- Red Sox History
10:45-11:15am- Students return to their home rooms for recess... I would then monitor recess with the other 7th grade home room teachers if recess is outside. If recess is inside, I would monitor my home room.
11:15-11:45- Lunch in home rooms
11:45-1:00pm- Planning period
1:00-1:45pm Bruins History
Mondays and Wednesdays I monitor the late room from 3:30-4pmish for kids whose parents are late in picking them up
Tuesdays and Thursdays I monitor detention from 3:30-4:30pm
All in all my day is not bad. I enjoy my classes and my students. The Red Sox have proven to be the most difficult class to control. I am thankful to work in a school where structure and discipline are enforced. Students are first given a warning if they refuse to follow instructions. After the warning the teacher is allowed to request the student planner in which they would write down and sign the violation committed by the student. We call this an A-Plan. Because parents must sign their child's planner every week, this gives parents an opportunity to see how well their child is behaving. Three A-Plans in a week or five in a month is a visit to the principal's office. Some violations are automatic visits to the principal including disrespect or other behavioral problems. Some violations are automatic A-Plans including forgetting a book to class, chewing gum, or failing to turn in homework. The uniform policy is also enforced daily and students can be given an A-Plan and a letter to their parents if they fail to comply. For the boys it is a constant reminder to tuck their shirts in and wear belts. For girls... it is far more difficult. Skirts must be no more than two inches above the knee. If a teacher questions the length of the skirt, the girl is sent to the nurse's office for measurement. If her skirt is too short, the nurse gives her a pair of pants from the uniform bank. Uniform checks are randomly administered in home rooms but can be done whenever the student is at school. The uniform policy extends beyond clothing too. Shoes must be plain brown or black tennis or dress shoes. No hair dye, jewelry (girls can wear a pair of simple stud earrings with no design), or nail polish. Boys can wear shorts until October 1. Pants or skirts must be a plain khaki color. Tops are a burgundy polo. Undershirts must be white. Sweaters or pullovers must also be burgundy.
I was not sure how I felt about school uniforms before this year but in two weeks of teaching I am already sold. Because we are a charter school, we have both low and high income students. Labels are distracting and can often reveal which students are well off and which ones are not. Because labels are always forbidden this takes away a serious distraction from the classroom. The purpose of the uniforms is to avoid drawing negative attention to yourself. Students attention should be on academics, not on the clothes they are wearing. Although this seems like a little thing, you'd be surprised how many students attempt to push the limits. Teachers are constantly reminded to enforce the uniforms because if we give just a little bit of ground on the uniform policy, students might be tempted to push the limits in other areas as well.
For the most part, my students are great. Even the Red Sox have settled down some since the first week. It was somewhat of an adjustment for me to learn how to control a class. I was quickly thankful for both a school that uses discipline and rules and an administration that backed me up as a teacher 100%. When one of my students clearly disrespected me in front of other students, he was given an immediate one day in school suspension with no questions asked by the principal. The student also apologized for his disrespect. Although the system has its downfalls, Mystic Valley provides more structure than many public schools do. I cannot imagine teaching in a school district that would not employ a system of discipline. Any sort of control in the classroom would seem impossible, especially for 7th graders.
On the flip side, we encourage on a 4:1 positive to negative ratio at Mystic Valley. That means for every correction, we give four positive comments. This can be very difficult on some days, but it really works. Kids respond much better to positive comments. You can even use a correction as a positive for others. For example, if you praise a kid for sitting up straight and paying attention class, and then you notice the other kid next to him who was slouching suddenly straighten up because you praised the other kid, you should also praise the kid who straightened up. That way you never have to use a negative comment and you can give yourself another positive comment. This might sound crazy at first... but we have found that especially among younger kids, they respond to praise better than they do criticism. I have also found this attitude helpful in my interactions with others, even the guys around the house. It is better to praise and lift up than to tear down and criticize.
My seventh grade class is going very well. I am attempting to teach the history class differently than a bunch of names and dates and facts. Rather I am trying to get them to see History as a "story" of which they are major part. The majority of the readings are coming from primary sources... which is different than simply relying on textbooks and group projects. Some people wondered if this was too early for seventh graders. Thus far things are going well as I am consistently impressed by the intellect of my students. They turn in homework every night and have already been given two quizzes and a test. I feel that seventh graders need to be challenged and that if you set the bar high, you will at least see students trying to hit it. If you set the standard low, you probably won't get too much out of them. Our students are used to working hard and achieving wellI see no reason why I should not expect much out of my students and thus far they are not disappointing.
We are thankful to enjoy the Labor Day weekend which included no school on Labor Day. This weekend allowed me the chance to catch up on some lesson plans, grade some tests, and relax with Bethany, Ian, and Nathanael. Oh... and I also caught up on sleep too. The work weeks have been around 60-65 hours a week thus far... I am hoping that they reduce with time as I continue to learn more each day. I feel like I have learned more in two weeks than I have in a long time. Teaching is different than being a full time student, but in many ways it is the same. Thus I continue to be excited to see what the rest of the year will bring.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The night before...
Finally the big day is almost here. Last week was pretty stressful.... because they finally let us out of orientation and training lectures and into the classroom. Then we realized how little we actually knew about the fine details of being a teacher. Paperwork, reports, standards, special education students, lunch counts, discipline... in other words the practical side of being a teacher. Although it was honestly overwhelming, things are better now, and we are as ready to go as we are going to get. This coming week will be a busy... and learning to be a teacher will be a sharp learning curve. I would be lying, however, to say that I am not excited to start. This is the next stage of my life and I am ready for it.
We are still trying to find things for the apartment. We need much in the way of living and dining room furniture. Right now though, we lack the time and the money to acquire too much. Perhaps this is the "hope that furniture falls from the sky" approach. I realize how unrealistic this is... Regardless we are all happy with where we are now. We have settled in nicely and are anxious to begin work. Now to just make it through the first day...
We are still trying to find things for the apartment. We need much in the way of living and dining room furniture. Right now though, we lack the time and the money to acquire too much. Perhaps this is the "hope that furniture falls from the sky" approach. I realize how unrealistic this is... Regardless we are all happy with where we are now. We have settled in nicely and are anxious to begin work. Now to just make it through the first day...
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